China faces steep climb to exploit its shale riches

The most likely region to see early shale gas success is the Sichuan basin in southwest China.

Trapped in black rock beneath China’s mountains and deserts lies a resource that could supply some of the country’s insatiable demand for energy, while reducing the pollution that cloaks many of its cities. Like the United States, China is thought to have vast quantities of natural gas locked in shale rock. But shale exploration is at an embryonic stage and China faces many challenges, below and above ground, if it hopes to emulate the shale production boom that has transformed the U.S. energy picture. My latest story for the International New York Times. (Picture courtesy Neil Beveridge, Sanford C. Bernstein)